California

Downtown Oakland

Oakland Keeps its DOT, Moves Forward With Innovative Street Repaving Plan

The city of Oakland had a particularly tough budget approval process this year. The future of capital investments in the city's transportation system was at stake.

June 29, 2019 - The East Bay Times

Highway 101 California

California's New Vision Zero Task Force Convenes

A new state task could prove its seriousness about ending traffic fatalities, by recommending that two of its most populated counties test speed cameras on highways.

June 28, 2019 - The Mercury News

Los Angeles Bus Rapid Transit

Another Proposed Bus Rapid Transit Route Provokes Controversy in Los Angeles

Los Angeles transit planners wants to connect two of its rail lines with a bus rapid transit line. The idea has critics.

June 28, 2019 - Curbed

Rainbow, a public art installation by American artist Tony Tasset, rises 94 feet above Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City

Rent Freezes Spread Across Southern California

Culver City is the latest jurisdiction to freeze rents temporarily in the face of skyrocketing housing costs.

June 27, 2019 - LAist

The Bronx

Successful Metropolitan Areas Prioritize Proximity

Brookings buils on the findings of recent research about jobs densification in cities around the country to make a larger point about the benefits of proximity in urban design, as compared to sprawl.

June 26, 2019 - Brookings

Bus Rapid Transit

Public Outcry Greets Plan to Connect L.A. to Pasadena via Bus Rapid Transit

Voters might have approved transit funding multiple measures by wide margins in Los Angeles County in recent years, but actual project proposals still have trouble appealing at the hyper-local level.

June 24, 2019 - Los Angeles Daily News

Hollywood Walk of Fame

New Master Plan for L.A.’s Hollywood Walk of Fame

The plan will detail $4 million in improvements to one of the city’s biggest tourist draws.

June 23, 2019 - Urbanize Los Angeles

Transportation Network Company

Opinion: California Needs to Close Gig Economy Loopholes

A state bill would force gig companies to treat workers fairly and would stanch the flow of subsidies that keep customer costs artificially low.

June 23, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

BART Train

S.F. Bay Area Fare Integration Study Voted Down

Transit officials pass on a proposal to take a closer look at the possibility of an integrated fare system that would simplify transit travel in the Bay Area.

June 22, 2019 - Streetsblog SF

Embarcadero

Revealed: New Plans for San Francisco's Waterfront

The Port of San Francisco is wrapping up a three-year planning process to chart the ongoing transformation of the city's waterfront.

June 20, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

Los Angeles Bus Rapid Transit

New Bus Rapid Transit Route Takes Shape for the San Fernando Valley

The Valley helped popularize public transit and bus rapid transit in Los Angeles, after the Orange Line achieved immediate, unexpected success last decade. Now new routes are under consideration.

June 20, 2019 - Urbanize LA

Gm Bus

'Speed' Turns 25: Planners Think About Fast Buses

In the '90s, Keanu Reeves was hurtling down the roads and freeways of L.A. in a bus; 25 years later, city officials ponder ways to bring the city’s average bus speed above 10 mph.

June 20, 2019 - Curbed Los Angeles

Traffic Safety Advocates

An Investigation of the Nation's Increasing Number of Pedestrian Fatalities

PBS New Hour takes a deep dive into the climbing number of pedestrian deaths in the United States—now at their highest level in almost three decades.

June 20, 2019 - PBS News Hour

Lombard Street San Francisco

California to Study a Ban on Sales of Cars with Internal Combustion Engines

California Assemblyman Phil Ting has tried unsuccessfully for the last two years to end the sale of new gas and diesel-powered passenger motor vehicles by 2040. He achieved some success by securing funds in an approved budget bill to study a ban.

June 19, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

Santa Ana California

Orange County Streetcar Project Ignoring Equity Issues, Say Activists

Critics say transportation officials have failed to address the potential equity and displacement effects of the Southern California streetcar project.

June 19, 2019 - Next City

San Francisco

Accessory Dwelling Units Legalized, Finally, in San Francisco

Legislation approved this week finally brings the city of San Francisco up to date with state laws approved in 2016.

June 19, 2019 - San Francisco Public Press

720 Bus at Vermont and Wilshire

The Environmental Costs of Slow, Empty Buses

Flagging ridership on Metro buses in Los Angeles redoubles the need to speed buses up with dedicated lanes, hopefully recovering lost riders and finding some news ones along the way, too.

June 19, 2019 - Los Angeles Times

Exurban Commute

California Looks North for a Climate Partner

California has been lonely for the last seven years as the only state that prices carbon emissions from most sources. Oregon is expected to decide this month whether to join them.

June 18, 2019 - CALmatters

Googleplex

Breaking News: Google to Spend $1 Billion on Housing in the Bay Area

The tech industry giant answers a call to do more to help alleviate housing prices in the region it calls home by promising to build tens of thousands of units on its own land.

June 18, 2019 - The Mercury News

Mountain Lion

Wild LA: An Excellent and Beautifully Illustrated Resource for L.A.’s Biodiversity

Los Angeled has plenty of urban wildlife, but people don’t usually associate the city with the term biodiversity. L.A. County park planner Clement Lau offers a book review on the a book on that subject, "Wild LA."

June 17, 2019 - UrbDeZine

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

Senior Manager Operations, Urban Planning

New York City School Construction Authority

Building Inspector

Village of Glen Ellyn

Manager of Model Development

Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.